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Monday, November 9, 2015

Vatican City, 9 November 2015 (VIS) –
Today the Holy Father Francis received in audience Andrzej Duda,
president of the Republic of Poland, who subsequently met with
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Msgr.
Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, the
Church’s positive contribution to Polish society was emphasised,
also in view of the Holy Father’s planned visit to Kraków next
year on the occasion of World Youth Day. Attention then turned to
various themes of mutual interest, such as the promotion of the
family, support for social groups most in need, and the welcome of
migrants.

Finally, some themes regarding the
international community were discussed, such as peace and security,
the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

Vatican City, 8 November 2015 (VIS) –
Before this Sunday's Angelus the Pope commented on the day's Gospel
reading, divided into two parts: the first on how not to be a
follower of Christ and the second, conversely, on the model of an
ideal Christian. “In the first part, Jesus criticises the scribes,
teachers of the law, for three defects in their lifestyle: pride,
greed and hypocrisy”. Under their solemn appearances “they are
hiding falsehood and injustice. … There is a risk that these
attitudes exist even in our day. For example when prayer is separated
from justice, because we cannot worship God and cause harm to the
poor. Or when one claims to love God, and instead offers God one’s
vainglory, to one’s own advantage”.

The second part describes the scene in
the Temple of Jerusalem, precisely in the place where people threw
coins as offerings. “There are many rich people who pay a lot of
money, and there is a poor woman – a widow – contributing just
two mites, two small coins. … The rich gave with great show what
for them was superfluous, while the widow, with discretion and
humility, gave – Jesus says – “all she had to live”; for this
– Jesus says – she gave the most of all”.

Today, continued the Holy Father,
“Jesus also tells us that the measurement is not quantity but
fullness. There is a difference. ... It is possible to have a lot of
money but to be empty. There is no fullness in a heart like this”.

He concluded by encouraging all those
present to think during this week of the difference between quantity
and fullness. “It is not a question of the wallet, but of the
heart. Faced with the needs of others, we are called to deprive
ourselves of essential things, not only the superfluous; we are
called to give the necessary time, not only the surplus that is left
over; we are called to give immediately and unconditionally some of
our talent, not only after using it for our own purposes or for those
of our group”.

Vatican City, 8 November 2015 (VIS) –
After the Angelus prayer, the Holy Father addressed some words to
those present on the events of recent days in the Vatican:

“I know that many of you are
concerned by the news that has circulated in recent days regarding
reserved documents of the Holy See that have been stolen and
published. Therefore, I would like to say to you, first and foremost,
that stealing those documents is a crime. It is a deplorable and
unhelpful act. I myself had asked for that study to be undertaken; my
collaborators and I were very familiar with the documents and
measures had been taken that had started to bear fruit, including
some that were visible”.

“Therefore I wish to assure you that
this sad event will certainly not divert me from the work of reform
that we are carrying forward with my collaborators and with the
support of all of you. Yes, with the support of all the Church,
because the Church is renewed with the prayer and daily sanctity of
every baptised person. Therefore, I thank you and I ask you to
continue to pray for the Pope and for the Church, without letting
yourselves be disturbed, but instead going ahead with trust and
hope”.

He went on to speak about the Italian
Day of Thanksgiving, whose theme this year is “The earth, a common
good”. “I join with the bishops in hoping that all will act as
responsible administrators of an inestimable common good, the earth,
whose fruits have a universal destiny. I wish to express my gratitude
to the world of agriculture, and encourage the cultivation of the
earth in such a way as to conserve its fertility so that it produces
food for all, today and for future generations”.

Vatican City, 6 November 2015 (VIS) –
The right to rest, a retirement pension and maternity leave, among
other workers' rights, “based on the very nature of the person and
his or her transcendent dignity”, were the key themes of Pope
Francis' address in St. Peter's Square this morning to 23,000 member
of the Italian National Social Security Institute (INPS).

The Pope emphasised the meaning of
safeguarding the right to rest. “I do not refer only to that rest
that is supported by an legitimised by social policy (such as the
weekly day of rest and annual leave, to which every worker is
entitled), but also and above all to a dimension of the human being
that does not lack spiritual roots”.

God, Who instructs man to rest, also
chose to rest on the seventh day. “Rest, in the language of faith,
is therefore a human and divine dimension at the same time”,
commented Francis. “With a single prerogative, though: that of not
being a simple abstention from ordinary labour and effort, but rather
an opportunity to fully live one's condition as creatures elevated to
filial dignity by God Himself. The need to 'sanctify' rest is
therefore linked to that – offered each week on Sunday – of a
time that enabled family, cultural, social and religious life to be
taken care of, making a space and time for God and for many in all
these aspects”.

The Pope then referred to the complex
situations in the world of work nowadays, from unemployment to
precarious guarantees for employees. “If you live like this, how
can you ever rest? Rest is a right we all have when we work, but if
the situation of unemployment, social injustice, illegal work and
precariousness is so serious, how can I rest? What can we say? We can
say – it is shameful – 'But do you want to work?'. 'Yes!'. 'Very
well, let's make a deal. You can start work in September, but until
July, and then July, August, and part of September you will neither
eat nor rest...”. This happens these days! And it happens all over
the world; it happens here in Rome, too! Rest, when there is work;
otherwise there is no rest”.

The Holy Father went on to note that
until just a short while ago it was normal to associate retirement
and pensions with reaching old age in which it was possible to enjoy
a well-earned rest and offer wisdom and advice to the new
generations. However, “the contemporary age has significantly
altered these rhythms. On the one hand, the possibility of rest has
been brought forward, at times diluted, and at times renegotiated to
aberrant extremes, to the point of distorting the very idea of
ceasing to work. On the other hand, existential needs have not
diminished for those who have lost or never had a job, or for those
who are obliged to stop working for the most varied reasons. If you
stop working, you can find yourself without healthcare”.

In this regard, the task of
institutions such as INPS is to contribute to ensuring that the funds
are not lacking for the subsistence of unemployed workers and their
families. “Special attention for female work should not be missing
from your priorities; nor should maternity assistance, which should
always allow for the protection of a new life and those who serve
this on a daily basis. There should be no lack of insurance for old
age, sickness, and work-related accidents. The right to a pension
must not be neglected, and I underline, the right, as this is what it
is”.

“In the final analysis, working means
prolonging God's work in history, contributing in a personal, useful
and creative way. Supporting employment, you support this work too.
Furthermore, by guaranteeing dignified income to those who have to
leave work, you affirm the most profound reality: work must not be
another cog in the perverse mechanisms that grinds resources to
obtain ever greater profits; it cannot therefore be prolonged or
reduced in relation to the earnings of the few or of forms of
production that sacrifice values, relationships and principles. This
applies to the economy in general … and also to all the social
institution whose subject and aim is and must be the human person”.

“Do not forget the person: this is
imperative”, he concluded. “Love and serve the person with
awareness, responsibility and willingness. Work for those who work,
and not least for those would like to but cannot. Do this not as a
work of solidarity but as a duty of justice and subsidiarity. Support
the weakest, so that no-one lacks the dignity and freedom to live an
authentically human life”.

Vatican City, 9 November 2015 (VIS) –
In a letter published today, written in Latin and dated 12 October,
the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjit Patabendige
Don, archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka, as his special envoy to the
National Eucharistic Congress of India, to be held in Mumbai from 12
to 15 November 2015.

The mission accompanying the cardinal
will be composed of Rev. Fr. Steven Fernandes, lecturer in moral
theology at the seminary of Mumbai, and Rev. Fr. Jervis D'Souza,
judicial vicar.

Vatican City, 9 November 2015 (VIS) –
The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Herve Gosselin as bishop of
Angouleme (area 5,956, population 365,851, Catholics 275,000, priests
75, religious 176, permanent deacons 10), France. The bishop-elect
was born in 1956 in Nantes, France, and was ordained a priest in
1994. He holds a licentiate in moral theology and has served in a
number of roles, including parish vicar, chaplain in the Rennes
prison for men, professor of moral theology, spiritual director and
treasurer of the interdiocesan seminary of Rennes. He is currently
director of the “Foyer de Charite” of Tressaint. He succeeds
Bishop Claude Dagens, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the
same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy
Father.

On Saturday 6 November the Holy Father
appointed:

- Fr. Lorenzo Piretto, O.P., as
archbishop of Izmir (Catholics 15,000, priests 17, religious 19),
Turkey. The bishop-elect was born in Mazze, Italy in 1942, gave his
religious vows in 1963, and was ordained a priest in 1966. He holds a
licentiate in theology from the University of Bologna and a doctorate
in philosophy from the University of Turin. He has occupied a number
of academic roles at the F.I.S.T. of Turin and the University of
Marmara in Istanbul. He has also served within his order as superior
of the Convent of Istanbul, and as provincial vicar of Turkey, as in
a number of pastoral roles including parish priest and vicar general.
He is currently superior of the Convent of Izmir. He succeeds
Archbishop Ruggero Franceschini, O.F.M. Cap., whose resignation from
the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit
was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Bishop Eugeniusz Miroslaw Popowicz as
archbishop of the archieparchy of Przemysl-Warszawa of the Byzantines
(Catholics 30,000, priests 47, religious 97), Poland. Msgr. Popowicz
is currently auxiliary of the same archieparchy. He succeeds
Archbishop Jan Martyniak whose resignation from the pastoral care of
the same archieparchy upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the
Holy Father.

- Rev. Fr. Damase Zinga Atangana as
bishop of Kribi (area 11,000, population 150,000, Catholics 85,000,
priests 44, religious 17), Cameroon. The bishop-elect was born in
Nkog Bong, Cameroon in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He
holds a doctorate in moral theology and a diploma in history and
science of religions from the Charles de Gaulle University in Lille,
France. He has served in a number of roles in the diocese of Obala,
Cameroon, including rector of the minor seminary, vicar general,
parish priest, and diocesan chaplain. He is currently vicar general
of Obala.

Rev. Fr. Salamanca Mantilla was born in
Bucaramanga, Colombia in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986. He holds
a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian
University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the
archdiocese of Bogota, including parish vicar, pastor, and formator
in the major seminary. He is currently archdiocesan delegate for the
coordination of permanent formation of the clergy, and parish priest.

Rev. Fr. Ali Herrera was born in
Barranquilla, Colombia in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He
holds licentiates theology and psychology from the Pontifical
Gregorian University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral
roles in the archdiocese of Bogota, including parish vicar, secretary
and notary of the episcopal vicar, parish priest, university
chaplain, and formator in the major seminary. He is currently parish
priest and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of
Minors.

- Msgr. Ricardo Orlando Seirutti as
auxiliary of the archdiocese of Cordoba (area 13,717, population
755,000, Catholics 698,179, priests 83, religious 169), Argentina.
The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1956 and was
ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in theology from the
Catholic University of Cordoba and has served as formator in the
minor seminary, assessor for youth pastoral ministry, chaplain and
formator of candidates to the permanent diaconate. He is currently
vicar forane and parish priest.